Terror Alerts

[Leaferne]

Wouldn't they recognize him? I mean, even I could pick Ted Kennedy out of a crowd and I'm not even American.

 

[SoundDust]

slightly related from the BBC today

My week as a terror suspect

Hundreds of people arrested under anti-terror laws since 11 September have subsequently been released without charge. One man tells how he copes with the lasting suspicion.
Early one morning last year, Riaz's life changed for good; an armed police raid on his family home marked him out as a wanted man in the UK's war on terror.



Dragged out of bed and off for questioning, it was seven days before police accepted he was not a terrorist and allowed him to return home, to a community which continues to regard him with suspicion.

While in custody Riaz, who says he still does not know why he was arrested, also became a new dad. Fatherhood aside, the 30-year-old's story is not that unusual. According to the Home Office 609 people were arrested under anti-terror legislation between 11 September and 30 June of this year; 99 were charged with such offences.

Earlier this week a further eight men were charged with conspiring to commit murder and conspiring to launch radioactive or chemical attacks. And a 19-year-old man arrested under the Terrorism Act on Thursday is still being questioned in the West Midlands.

The police and security services retain overwhelming public support in their efforts, but how do those suspected, but subsequently cleared, of terror links cope?

 

[ted_bloody_maul]

Clerical error puts Kennedy on "no fly" list

maybe they did recognise him and thought he was going to take control of the plane and crash it at chapaquidick. accidentally, of course.

 

[Anonymous]

247. Russia and terror attack (8/14)

On 5/26/04, Ashcroft and Mueller announced "terror attack in coming summer". On 6/4, in message 232, I alleged D.O.J. was the hand behind the coming attack to distract a framed drug case. I also predicted "And the time will be around 6/19."

On 6/19, Washington Post reported Russian leader Putin said his intelligence in 2002 had warned US that Iraq government planned to attack US. This news, combined with others, were used to fix the gap of soured "6/19 terror attack", enabled me realizing the attack was postponed. It also proved my allegation of secret deal between US and Russia.

http://forums.delphiforums.com/police915/messages/?msg=1.240

 

[Anonymous]

247. Russia and terror attack (8/14)

On 5/26/04, Ashcroft and Mueller announced "terror attack in coming summer". On 6/4, in message 232, I alleged D.O.J. was the hand behind the coming attack to distract a framed drug case. I also predicted "And the time will be around 6/19."

On 6/19, Washington Post reported Russian leader Putin said his intelligence in 2002 had warned US that Iraq government planned to attack US. This news, combined with others, were used to fix the gap of soured "6/19 terror attack", enabled me realizing the attack was postponed. It also proved my allegation of secret deal between US and Russia.

http://forums.delphiforums.com/police915/messages/?msg=1.240

No attack happened, so this proves your theory?

 

[Anonymous]

No attack happened, so this proves your theory?

A thief is going to steal. I cried to people, "Beware of pickpocket. The thief is going to steal. His image looks like....." Do you think the thief would steal? At least not at that time. Other development may prove what I said is true.

236. Help puppet Bush (6/24)

There are two events in June which I think were arranged deliberately at this time.
One is the Michael Moore's "9/11 Fahrenheit" will open to public on 6/25. Which will give a negative image for Bush. If there is a big bombing taking place on 6/19 or a little later, then the film will be neglected by public.

Another event was the report issued by 911 investigation commision which said there is no credible evidence that Saddam and Al-Qaida had cooperated to attack US. The panel disputes Bush's reasons to invade Iraq. It was reported by media on 6/17. This, too, could be neglected if there was a big attack taking place on 6/19.

If there was really an attack happened, Inside Group needed not to worry about these negative event. Bush would once again become a "hero in terror war". And other information 911 panel released would help to inflame panic and indignation against Islamic people. When media repeatedly to broadcast the picture of the collapse of WTC and the voice of pilots of hijacked plane. The effect is same like they broadcast the film of beheading case. US government is very active to start a psychological war to its citizens. To prepare for more war in Mid-East.

But the planned attack didn't take place. I think it's because my analysis in message 232, 233 revealed their plot.

When the planned bombing didn't come to offset the negative influence of 911 panel's finding and Michael Moore's film "Fahrenheit 9/11", inside group came to help Bush.

1. Give out a poll to boost Bush. It's the old tactic. Poll is a tool Inside Group used to manipulte the mind of people.

Re: "Outlook on Iraq aiding Bush, Kerry loses lead from last poll
By Ron Hutcheson, Knight Ridder,
6/18/04, S.J.M.N.

Bush went from trailing Democratic Sen. John Kerry to leading slightly, 48 % to 46%.
The results of the latest Pew Research poll of 1,806 adults taken June 3-13. "

2. unusual support from rival on war with Iraq.
"McCain unites with Bush, shows support for Iraq war
By Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times
6/19/04, S.J.M.N.

President Bush and his old political rival Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz, shared a military stage Friday to present an unusual joint defense of the war in Iraq."

3. Support from Democratic leader

Former President Clinton has revealed that he continues to support President Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq .....

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/06/19/clinton.iraq/index.html

4. Justify Bush's Iraq war by Russia leader

Russia Warned U.S. About Iraq, Putin Says

By Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, June 19, 2004; Page A11

Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that his intelligence service had warned the Bush administration before the U.S. invasion of Iraq that Saddam Hussein's government was planning attacks against U.S. targets both inside and outside the country.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53096-2004Jun18.html

The surface of Clinton proves when it touches the interest of inside group, there is no partism. All politicians serve for their master: inside group. What surprised me is they even push out Putin to protect Bush. How eager they tried to save their puppet when their designated plan failed to carry out.

One thing interesting if you have noticed the date that media reported the defense from these big shots. Which may prove my prediction of 6/19 is correct. When I read these news, I knew the "terror attack on 6/19" was cancelled or postponed or delayed. Otherwise inside group didn't need these defense. In their plan, an "terror attack" would boost Bush's fame, and of course, distract the attention to a framed case.

 

[Anonymous]

A thief is going to steal. I cried to people, "Beware of pickpocket. The thief is going to steal. His image looks like....." Do you think the thief would steal? At least not at that time. Other development may prove what I said is true.
.
.
.
One thing interesting if you have noticed the date that media reported the defense from these big shots. Which may prove my prediction of 6/19 is correct. When I read these news, I knew the "terror attack on 6/19" was cancelled or postponed or delayed. Otherwise inside group didn't need these defense. In their plan, an "terror attack" would boost Bush's fame, and of course, distract the attention to a framed case.

I'd be willing to bet that GW Bush has never even heard of you. If They(tm) were up to anything nefarious, I don't think that they'd be bothered about any claims that you made.

I suspect that most readers believe that you are either paranoid or a troll. (I'm not accusing you of this, but I genuinely believe that this is what most people think.) As such it is highly unlikely that anyone in authority would worry about your claims as they will assume that no-one will believe them. That you believe your claims are of concern to Them(tm) is another point against the veracity of your beliefs.

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

The ultimate terror alert:

Cheney Warns Against Vote for Kerry

Sep 7, 3:57 PM (ET)

By AMY LORENTZEN


DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Vice President Dick Cheney on Tuesday warned Americans about voting for Democratic Sen. John Kerry, saying that if the nation makes the wrong choice on Election Day it faces the threat of another terrorist attack.

The Kerry-Edwards campaign immediately rejected those comments as "scare tactics" that crossed the line.

"It's absolutely essential that eight weeks from today, on Nov. 2, we make the right choice, because if we make the wrong choice then the danger is that we'll get hit again and we'll be hit in a way that will be devastating from the standpoint of the United States," Cheney told about 350 supporters at a town-hall meeting in this Iowa city.

If Kerry were elected, Cheney said the nation risks falling back into a "pre-9/11 mind-set" that terrorist attacks are criminal acts that require a reactive approach. Instead, he said Bush's offensive approach works to root out terrorists where they plan and train, and pressure countries that harbor terrorists.

Cheney pointed to Afghanistan as a success story in pursuing terrorists although the Sept. 11 mastermind, Osama bin Laden, remains at large. In Iraq, the vice president said, the United States has taken out a leader who used weapons of mass destruction against his own people and harbored other terrorists.

"Saddam Hussein today is in jail, which is exactly where he belongs," Cheney said.

Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards issued a statement, saying, "Dick Cheney's scare tactics crossed the line today, showing once again that he and George Bush will do anything and say anything to save their jobs. Protecting America from vicious terrorists is not a Democratic or Republican issue and Dick Cheney and George Bush should know that."

Edwards added that he and Kerry "will keep American safe, and we will not divide the American people to do it."

The candidates are campaigning hard for Iowa's seven electoral votes. Democrat Al Gore narrowly won the state in 2000. Bush has campaigned in the state five times in the last month, and Cheney has made three stops.

Hours before Cheney spoke, the Congressional Budget Office said this year's federal deficit will hit a record 2 billion. Cheney, in praising Bush's tax cuts, noted that the CBO said this year's projected deficit will be smaller than analysts had expected.

__

On the Net:

Bush-Cheney '04: http://www.georgewbush.com/

Kerry-Edwards '04: http://www.johnkerry.com/

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040907/D84V15AG0.html

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Its great strategy - you make a big flash claim and then retract it later knowing it will get less coverage:

Cheney Softens Comments on Kerry and Terror Threat


Sep 10, 10:36 AM (ET)

GREEN BAY, Wis. (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney on Friday tempered comments he made earlier this week that warned of the risk of another terrorist attack if Democratic Sen. John Kerry were elected president.

In an interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer, Cheney said he wanted to "clear up" the stir created by his remarks, which he made Tuesday in the Des Moines, Iowa.

"I did not say if Kerry is elected, we will be hit by a terrorist attack," Cheney said in an interview with the newspaper during a campaign swing through the battleground states of Ohio and Wisconsin where he is working to bring swing voters to the Republican side.

The vice president said what he had meant was that if the United States is attacked again, he believed Kerry would fall back on a "pre-9/11 mind-set" on foreign policy instead of the "pre-emptive" doctrine pursued by President Bush.

After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States the Bush administration adopted a policy of pre-emptive military action to attack foes before they could become a threat.

"Whoever is elected president has to anticipate more attacks. My point was the question before us is: Will we have the most effective policy in place to deal with that threat? George Bush will pursue a more effective policy than John Kerry," Cheney said in the interview.

Kerry campaign spokesman Phil Singer responded that "Sen. Kerry has been very clear in saying he will hunt down and kill the terrorists before they get us."

Cheney, at a town hall appearance in Des Moines on Tuesday, said it was essential that Americans make the right choice in the Nov. 2 president election "because if we make the wrong choice, then the danger is that we'll get hit again."

"We'll get hit in a way that will be devastating from the standpoint of the United States and that we'll fall back into the pre-9/11 mindset if you will that in fact these terrorist attacks are just criminal acts and that we're not really at war."

Kerry's vice presidential running mate, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, responded on Tuesday that Cheney was using "scare tactics" and said it showed "once again that he and George Bush will do anything and say anything to save their jobs."

http://news.myway.com/top/article/id/48598|top|09-10-2004::10:47|reuters.html

I would argue that "a policy of pre-emptive military action to attack foes before they could become a threat" is quite a scraey policy - isn't that how the Nazi's justified things?

 

[ramonmercado]

Terror flee plan found 'on train'

Terror flee plan found 'on train'

An inquiry has been launched after detailed evacuation plans in case of a terror strike in London were discovered in a "public place". It is believed the government data on how to deal with any "large scale emergency" were found on a train.

The Metropolitan Police said the existence of such plans was already in the public domain.

But the force said it treated any possible breach of security "extremely seriously".

'Carrier bag'

The development of the 68-page dossier, entitled Operation Sassoon, has involved years of work between the Metropolitan Police and other city frontline services.

A police statement said the plan was only part of an "enormous amount of work being conducted" to ensure the force was prepared to respond to a major incident.

It added: "Evacuation using the road network is one of a number of possible transport options included within the plans."

According to The Sun newspaper the plans were found in a carrier bag on the seat of a train between London and Gravesend, Kent, by an Essex warehouse worker.

A force spokesman confirmed the plans had been found in a public place but refused to say where.

"The Metropolitan Police have launched an internal inquiry and the circumstances of how this document was left in a public place and will take the appropriate action when we have ascertained the full facts surrounding this matter," said the police spokesman.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/3675574.stm

Published: 2004/09/21 09:29:32 GMT

© BBC MMIV

 

[ramonmercado]

Traffic deaths rise after terror attacks

Traffic deaths rise after terror attacks


22:00 20 September 04

NewScientist.com news service

Fatal traffic accidents rise by 35% three days after a terror attack, according to a new study conducted in Israel. The finding suggests terrorism can cause a delayed reaction in the population at large.

Previous research has studied how individuals respond to terror attacks - by developing post-traumatic stress disorder, for example.

"What has not been done is looking for the broader population-level responses of the general public," says Joshua Goldstein, a social demographer at Princeton University in New Jersey, US. He and Guy Stecklov of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel, studied traffic patterns and accidents in Israel from January 2001 to June 2002. Over that period, 63 terror attacks took place in which at least one person was killed.

They found that fatal traffic accidents spiked three days after an attack. And non-rush-hour traffic - seen as "discretionary" travel - dropped by about 10% for three days after a serious attack (in which at least 10 people were killed).

The researchers emphasise they do not know what causes the change in behaviour. Some of the accidents may be disguised suicides, but Goldstein says the crashes are likely to reflect the drivers' stress.


Surface and rebound


"Imagine you're shocked by something," he told New Scientist. "You take it easy for a few days, then you think you have your legs again. But when you stand up, you might fall down. People are distracted and that could be why there are more accidents."

Arie Kruglanski, a psychologist at the University of Maryland in College Park, US, says people may actively suppress thoughts about a terror attack right after it happens.




Subscribe to New Scientist for more news and features

Related Stories


Pentagon cancels futures market on terror
30 July 2003

Counselling can add to post-disaster trauma
25 June 2003

Bioweapons alerts may cause lasting psychological harm
19 October 2001


For more related stories
search the print edition Archive



Weblinks


Guy Stecklov, Hebrew University

Joshua Goldstein, Princeton University

Arie Kruglanski, University of Maryland

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences




"After a while, one tires of repression and the repressed thoughts surface and rebound," Kruglanski told New Scientist.

"One interesting contribution of this paper is that even people who do not appear to be particularly impacted by a terrorist incident and who seem in total emotional control do experience stress and that such stress can interfere with their effective functioning," he adds.

Goldstein says the study's results may be broadly applicable to other societies' reactions to repeated terror attacks. But the study points out that Israel may be unique in its high frequency of attacks, its small and tightly knit population, and its notoriously aggressive driving style.

Journal reference: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (DOI 10.1073, no. 04-02483)


Maggie McKee

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996422

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

FBI's Anti-Terror 'October Plan'

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2004




One element of the FBI plan calls for addressing what it fears could be a wave of protests from Arab-Americans and civil libertarians once the so-called "October Plan" kicks off.

(CBS) Convinced that al Qaeda is still determined to disrupt the U.S. fall elections by an attack on the homeland, FBI officials here are preparing a massive counter-offensive of interrogations, surveillance and possible detentions they hope will disrupt the terrorist plans, reports CBS News Correspondent Jim Stewart.

FBI field offices and Homeland Security agencies will be advised of "extraordinary measures" that will go into place "beginning the first week of October through the elections."

An internal e-mail advisory to supervisory agents this week from the FBI's "'04 Threat Task Force" said the purpose of the counter-offensive is "to foster the impression that law enforcement is focused on individuals who may be a threat."

Specifically, the plan calls for "aggressive - even obvious - surveillance" techniques to be used on a short list of people suspected of being terrorist sympathizers, but who have not committed a crime. Other "persons of interest," including their family members, may also be brought in for questioning, one source said.

All recent truck thefts, chemical thefts and suspicious cargo truck rentals will also be reviewed as part of the plan. Mosques will be revisited and members asked whether they've observed any suspicious behavior.

Throwing hundreds of agents on the street and conducting invasive surveillance has become a standard post-9/11 tactic for the bureau, which hopes at a minimum to force terrorists go back into hiding and re-think their plan.

Some officials believe it was just such tactics that foiled the remainder of al Qaeda's New Year's bomb plot in January 2000 after agents arrested one operative, Ahmed Ressam, in Port Angeles, Wash., with a car trunk full of explosive material.

The bureau also knows it can expect to be criticized for the strategy if it goes too far. One element of the plan calls for addressing what some officials fears could be a wave of protests from Arab-Americans and civil libertarians once the so-called "October Plan" kicks off.

--------------------------
©MMIV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/17/eveningnews/main644096.shtml

 

[hallybods]

On a lighter note:

Preparing for emergencies

The real thing

 

[Mal_Adjusted]

Vibrator closes airport

Hi

source:
-----------------------------
Ananova:
12:13 Monday 4th October 2004
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1127123.html?menu=news.quirkies

quote:
-----------------------------

Vibrator closes airport

An adult sex toy sparked a security scare which closed an Australian
airport for nearly an hour.

The vibrating object was discovered at Mackay Airport by a security
officer who noticed a suspicious package inside a rubbish bin.

Cafeteria manager Lynne Bryant said her staff had been cleaning tables
when they noticed a strange humming noise coming from the rubbish bin.

"It was rather disconcerting when the rubbish bin started humming
furiously," she told the Herald Sun.

"We called security and next minute everybody was being evacuated while
they checked it out."

The police spokeswoman said the terminal was evacuated immediately.

"Another two flights were expected to land at that stage but alternate
arrangements were made for the passengers to collect their luggage away from the terminal," the spokeswoman said.

Ms Bryant said in retrospect the humming sounded exactly like a vibrator -
but it was better to be safe then sorry.

"You can't afford to take chances," she said.

--------------------------------
endquote


Mal F

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

CIA backs away from Al Qaeda tip


By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

A CIA informant provided false information about an impending al Qaeda attack, but other intelligence sources reveal that the danger of a major strike by the group close to the upcoming elections is real, U.S. officials said.
"We are concerned because a number of different threat reports we've received over the past few months indicate terrorists plan to disrupt the democratic process," said one official with access to intelligence reports.
Officials said that since the spring, numerous information sources, both electronic and human, have indicated that al Qaeda is planning a major attack on the United States or on U.S. targets abroad before the Nov. 2 election.
But officials said several threat reports from April and May have been found to be "a deception" designed to fool U.S. intelligence agencies.
The bogus source made statements that were determined by intelligence officials to have been "not credible," the officials said.
The bogus source said al Qaeda wanted to affect the democratic process in the United States just as an affiliated group did by bombing trains in Madrid on March 11. The attack, three days before the Spanish elections, killed 191 persons and prompted Spaniards to vote out of power a pro-American, conservative government.
The source had no indication of when or how that would be done, or by whom. There have been no recent intelligence reports of al Qaeda plans for attacks.
However, several other sources of intelligence indicated that al Qaeda is planning to disrupt the elections, officials said.
A second official said that the intelligence stating that a major attack is coming was derived from a variety of sources and that the false report has not led to changes in current threat assessments.
"Is there still reason to be concerned that al Qaeda is interested in attacking the homeland? Absolutely," the official said.
As for the false source, the second official said intelligence always comes from sources of varying reliability.
"We get lots of information; some of it is reliable, and some of it's not so reliable," the official said.
No plans exist to raise the national alert level beyond the heightened (yellow) threat levels. In August, the threat of attack was raised to high (orange) for financial centers in New York, northern New Jersey and Washington.
"We have no plans to raise the threat level based on current threat assessments," said Brian Roehrkasse, a spokesman for the Homeland Security Department.
Information about a terrorist attack was obtained after several key arrests of al Qaeda members in Britain and Pakistan, including one member whose laptop computer revealed secret about al Qaeda plans.
Officials also dismissed the worries expressed by Sen. Mark Dayton, Minnesota Democrat, who announced Oct. 15 that he was closing his Washington office because of threats of a terrorist attack in the Capitol.
A CIA briefing to lawmakers discussed a "worst-case" scenario of a terrorist attack, but gave no specific indication of an attack. The CIA assessment was "pure analysis" based on uncorroborated-threat reports of what would happen if al Qaeda conducted a major attack, one official said.

http://washingtontimes.com/national/20041019-103107-5967r.htm

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Little Evidence of Qaeda Plot Timed to Vote
By DAVID JOHNSTON and DON VAN NATTA Jr.

Published: October 24, 2004

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 - In early July, the Homeland security secretary, Tom Ridge, declared that credible intelligence showed Al Qaeda intended to launch a "large-scale attack" inside the United States to "disrupt our democratic process." More than three months later, counterterrorism officials in the United States and overseas say they are still concerned, but have uncovered little specific evidence of a plot timed to the election.

Extensive investigations into the most significant reported threat unearthed this year, a years-old Qaeda surveillance operation thought to be aimed at five financial institutions in New York, Newark and Washington, has found no sign that it had evolved into concrete operations.

There are now doubts among intelligence officials that a group of eight men arrested in Britain last August planned to strike in the United States around the presidential election, as suspected at first.

And an informant on Al Qaeda, who told authorities last spring that there might be an election-season attack in the United States, has recently been discredited, the officials said.

In a series of interviews here and abroad over the last two months, some intelligence and counterterrorism officials say that even after the political conventions passed without incident, they still fear an undetected plot, either before or after the Nov. 2 election. Others say they suspect a plan might have existed and been disrupted or postponed.

"We've undertaken a bunch of actions," said one senior administration official. "We don't know whether we've disrupted them or not. We continue to consider it a very serious threat and we continue to be at a higher operational level. If Nov. 2 comes and goes and nothing happens, I am not going to sleep any better at night."

But there are also those, especially abroad, who question the information and analyses relied on by Mr. Ridge and other senior Bush administration officials in their repeated public warnings of an election-year terror threat.

"I've seen some analytical pieces from the bureau and the agency," said one senior American counterintelligence official, referring to election threat reports by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency. "On a scale of one to a hundred, I'd give it about a two."

But three top national security officials said that the intelligence seemed persuasive, and was backed up by specific and credible sources providing a reasonable basis for warnings. Those sources, they said, included informants with an inside knowledge of Al Qaeda, captured Qaeda operatives, intercepted communications and material taken from computer hard drives and discs.

In May, July and August, law enforcement and homeland security officials made high-profile announcements that traced a trajectory of rising alarm about a possible attack timed to the election season. But an intense international search for more clues has left investigators empty-handed.

Each of the nearly two dozen American and European officials interviewed for this article said that Al Qaeda remained an extremely serious threat. All of the officials refused to be named because they were discussing classified information. Each is directly involved in national security or counterterrorism and is regularly briefed on terrorism developments.

To varying degrees, these counterterrorism officials expressed doubts that Al Qaeda has had a fixed target date related to the elections. Several of them said that past terror attacks by Al Qaeda suggested that the bin Laden network typically struck when its chances of success appeared greatest, with little regard to the political calendar.

In a recent interview, Mr. Ridge held to this view. "I would say that, at least from Homeland Security's perspective, a date or a time line is important, but they operate I think, at the end of the day, whenever they're ready," he said. "Whenever they feel they can execute successfully an attack, they'll do it. If they can do it before the election, they'll do it. Will they accelerate it because the election is here? I don't know. They seem to have indicated that they will or they'd like to, whether they have the capacity to do it or not."

-----------------
In Europe and the Middle East, senior counterterrorism officials say they have been perplexed and uneasy about the American officials' warnings. They say that last summer they had seen no evidence of an election-year threat in their own intelligence reports.

In interviews, these officials, based in eight countries, including Britain, France, Spain, Germany, Italy and Jordan, said they had not seen a single solid piece of intelligence, like a statement of a Qaeda operative or an intercepted phone conversation, to back up the warnings.

"I am aware of no intelligence, nothing that shows there will be an attack before the U.S. presidential election," said a senior European-based counterterrorism official.

A senior administration official said that not all intelligence is shared with every ally. American officials said they are determined not to allow any disruption of the campaign and election, but they were also concerned not to be caught off guard.

American intelligence officials said that their thinking changed after the March 11 Madrid commuter train bombings, which occurred four days before a national election in Spain.

The first alert came as a surprise even to some senior American counterterrorism officials. At a joint news conference on May 27, Attorney General John Ashcroft and Director Robert S. Mueller III of the F.B.I., released the identities and photographs of seven suspected Qaeda operatives who they said "posed a clear and present danger." Mr. Ashcroft said the information was corroborated by Qaeda's public statements that its preparations for an attack in the United States were "90 percent complete."

A number of events might be targeted, Mr. Ashcroft said, including the G-8 economic summit in Georgia last June, the two national political conventions in Boston and New York this past summer and the Nov. 2 balloting. (The Olympics, too, were a target that passed without incident.).

"The Madrid railway bombings were perceived by Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda to have advanced their cause," Mr. Ashcroft said. "Al Qaeda may perceive that a large-scale attack in the United States this summer or fall would lead to similar circumstances."

After Mr. Ashcroft's announcement, Mr. Ridge seemed surprised by the attorney general's election- season warning. Asked why the national color-coded alert level had not been raised, Mr. Ridge replied: "There is nothing specific enough. There's not a consensus within the administration that we need to raise the threat level."

But on July 8, Mr. Ridge called his own news conference to announce that intelligence reports pointed to Al Qaeda's desire to strike the United States and this time he said the information pointed to an election-season attack.

"Credible reporting now indicates that Al Qaeda is moving forward with its plans to carry out a large-scale attack in the United States in an effort to disrupt our democratic process," Mr. Ridge told reporters. "We lack precise knowledge about time, place and method of attack, but along with the C.I.A., F.B.I. and other agencies, we are actively working to gain that knowledge." He cited arrests made in Britain, Jordan and Italy, as well as the ongoing investigation into the Madrid train bombings.

But once again, Mr. Ridge said that it was unnecessary to raise the national alert level. And the Justice Department dismissed news reports that its lawyers might review the law to determine whether an election could be postponed because of terror threats or an actual attack.

At a background briefing after Mr. Ridge spoke, a senior intelligence official said the threat appeared to have been directed by Mr. bin Laden or one of his chief lieutenants like Ayman al-Zawahiri.

European intelligence officials, though, said that they had seen no information indicating an attack against the election. "There was a concern about the possibility of an attack, but this went back to the early spring," said one official. "I believe the Americans looked at Madrid, and figured it could happen there."

-------------
Then, on Aug. 1, Mr. Ridge called an unusual Sunday afternoon news conference to announce that there was a "high risk" of a terrorist attack based on information that had been received three days earlier. Al Qaeda operatives had had under surveillance five financial buildings in Manhattan, Newark and Washington.

This time, the national terrorist threat level was raised, but only in the three cities affected by the latest information. But the investigation of the evidence, found in computer files dating to before Sept. 11, 2001, that were seized in recent raids in Pakistan, no clear link to the elections.

Still, investigators' conclusions that Adnan G. el-Shukrijuma, one of the seven wanted men, had participated in the surveillance of the New York Stock Exchange was a cause for continued concern, as he is still at large. Sometimes called "Jafar the Pilot" because it was thought that he had received flight training, a notion that law enforcement officials have come to doubt. He was born in Saudi Arabia, used to live in South Florida and is suspected of leading a terrorist cell.

The alerts prompted a massive response by law enforcement agencies in the affected cities. Snipers were stationed on rooftops of nearby buildings, police with bomb-sniffing dogs patrolled the building's lobbies and roadblocks in all three cities snarled traffic. In Washington, Capitol Hill police tightened security around Congress.

The continuing investigation into the computer files, seized from Mohammed Neem Noor Khan, a Qaeda communications specialist, and Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, wanted in the 1998 embassy bombings in East Africa, led to a cell in Britain, which British police had been surreptitiously monitoring for months

On Aug. 3, they arrested 13 people suspected of terrorist acts, including a 32-year-old British-raised Indian named Abu Elsa al-Hindi, who the authorities suspect traveled to the United States to lead the surveillance operation at the financial institutions. Eight of the 13 men remain in custody, facing charges that they had plotted to launch a terrorist attack, though prosecutors have refused to say when or where.

Other officials familiar with the case, however, say that they now believe the men were targeting Heathrow Airport in London. At a recent briefing, a senior administration official said that the investigation into Mr. Kahn and the British cell had not found signs of an active plot, but the official suggested that Al Qaeda might have switched to other targets.

"If the election comes and goes without an attack, if the inauguration comes and goes with another attack, it's still not time to take a sigh of relief," the official said. "Al Qaeda is patient. They are going to conduct operations when they are capable and ready to do so."

Requires (free) registration:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/24/politics/24threat.html?oref=login

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Requires (free) registration:

Little Evidence of Qaeda Plot Timed to Vote
By DAVID JOHNSTON and DON VAN NATTA Jr.

Published: October 24, 2004

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 - In early July, the Homeland security secretary, Tom Ridge, declared that credible intelligence showed Al Qaeda intended to launch a "large-scale attack" inside the United States to "disrupt our democratic process." More than three months later, counterterrorism officials in the United States and overseas say they are still concerned, but have uncovered little specific evidence of a plot timed to the election.

........

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/24/politics/24threat.html?oref=login

Well shut my mouth:

Posted 10/28/2004 7:40 PM


Video airs of man claiming to be American al-Qaeda member

WASHINGTON (AP) — A shrouded man claiming to be an American member of al-Qaeda promised attacks that will make U.S. streets "run red with blood" in a video aired Thursday night by ABC News.

Intelligence officials, however, have not been able to verify the tape's authenticity, and officials do not have information linking the video to a specific threat, said an intelligence official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

They also have not been able to positively identify the speaker.

"We remain concerned, however, about al-Qaeda's interest in attacking the homeland," the official said.

In the 75-minute message, the speaker who identifies himself as "Azzam the American" praised the Sept. 11 attacks, called Osama bin Laden and his deputy his leaders, and said a new wave of attacks could come at any moment.

ABC News obtained the video in Pakistan on Friday from a source known to have Taliban and al-Qaeda connections, according to the ABC report.

ABC's Web site said it paid the source 0 in transportation fees. Since then, the network has been working with intelligence officials to understand the tape's content and origins.

On the tape, the speaker says: "Allah willing, the streets of America will run red with blood, matching drop for drop the blood of America's victims."

The speaker, who wore a headdress that covered his face except for his eyes, claims the United States is his country of origin but does not say specifically where he lives. He speaks both Arabic and English with an international accent that is hard to characterize, the intelligence official said.

The video appears to have been released by al-Qaeda's media organization, containing a banner attributing the video to the Sahab Production Committee.

"The video content is classic al-Qaeda propaganda, in terms of anti-U.S. ideology and denunciation of the U.S.," the official said.

The official also said the video appears to have been made in the last several months, perhaps as recently as late summer, because of references to the conflict in Darfur, Sudan, and the Sept. 11 commission.

---------------
Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-10-28-american-al-qaeda_x.htm

 

[Anonymous]

I'd be willing to bet that GW Bush has never even heard of you. If They(tm) were up to anything nefarious, I don't think that they'd be bothered about any claims that you made.

W. Bush may never even hear of me. D.O.J. does. Who is the real hand behind politicians and terror attacks.

--------------------

The June plot (6/29)

Though the "6/19 terror attack" failed to be carried out, other events show how Feds prepared to frame a case in June.

On 6/17, S.J.M.N. reported, "Board OKs merging sheriff, coroner offices. In a move aimed at saving money, Santa Clara County leaders on Wednesday approved a controversial plan to allow the sheriff's department to manage the coroner's office. But the merger worries opponents who believe it could create an extra layer of public mistrust toward law enforcement."

In message "170. Suspends Coroner (10/11)" I talked about how Feds plotted to oust the chief medical examiner Schmunk. Finally Feds got coroner's office under their control. It will help them to cover up the murder committed in the coming framed case.

On same day 6/17, local Chinese TV reported a Chinese dissenter, Peng Min, was arrested in Burma and was handed over to Chinese government. Peng Min favours to overturn Chinese government by violence. About a year ago(?), he appeared in a talk show of that TV station. In interview he called for people to join his orgnization. He said that he needed qualified personnel to fill the post of Defense Minister and etc. He offered three to four thousands dollars of monthly salary for these posts. The host of talk show asked him where did he got that much money. Of course, Peng Min would not reveal his financial source. By common sense, it was from intelligence.

Peng Min was arrested a short time before 6/17. He was charged of holding a large amount of forgery Chinese currency by Burmese police. He was delivered to Chinese government quickly. I think he was arranged there by intelligence. Peng Min might have thought he was working to overturn current Chinese government. He could never dream of that he became a chip in a secret deal and was sold by his host. He became a payment to Chinese secret police to exchange for a framed drug case D.O.J. wants.

It was similar to the framed case in April when my wife went to HongKong visiting her dying adopted father. For that case, US had deported one of China most wanted escaped corruptive official to China. FBI director Mueller also announced HongKong would be attacked by Al Qaida terrorists then. Now, Ashcroft and Mueller announced the coming summer attack by Al Qaida. And, too, they gave Chinese government one of their most wanted as interest exchange - a political dissenter.

Because US still holds a title of democracy which Bush used to "liberate" Iraq, Feds couldn't deport a political dissenter to China. So the secret deal was fulfilled by the third country-Burma. (see "222. Perform a secret deal (4/19), 223. FBI director said HongKong will be attacked (4/24)")

Former P.M. of Spain, Aznar was an ally of Bush. I alleged Madrid bombing was done to help his election. So, he should be familiar with these "terror attacks".
Here is an excerpt from an article:

Quote, "During his visit to California, Aznar referred more than once about a terrorist attack taking place in the United States in June, 2004, which would lead to a Federal Emergency Management Agency takeover of the U.S. (International Herald Tribune, May 15, 16, 17, Los Angeles Times, May 15)"

What made Aznar so sure there would be an "terror attack" in June? He might be able to access some inside information. I based on my own experience knew the mastermind is D.O.J. and their purpose is to eliminate a witness of their crime. For them this is a real imminent danger. Of course, to help their puppet Bush in election as well, too.

The above article is an interesting one, worth to read.

Quote, "Rogue Bush Backers prepare Super 9/11 False Flag Terror Attacks

INN Preview Exclusive -June 2

By Webster Griffin Tarpley

Toronto, May 30 - Intelligence patterns monitored over the US Memorial
Day weekend now point conclusively to an imminent new round of ABC
(atomic-bacteriological-chemical) terror attacks in the United States,"

http://inn.globalfreepress.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=355

 

[Anonymous]

Russia and terror attack (8/14)

On 5/26/04, Ashcroft and Mueller announced "terror attack in coming summer". On 6/4, in message 232, I alleged D.O.J. was the hand behind the coming attack to distract a framed drug case. I also predicted "And the time will be around 6/19."

On 6/19, Washington Post reported Russian leader Putin said his intelligence in 2002 had warned US that Iraq government planned to attack US. This news, combined with others, were used to fix the gap of soured "6/19 terror attack", enabled me realizing the attack was postponed. It also proved my allegation of secret deal between US and Russia.

On 6/10/2002, Ashcroft announced Padilla's arrest in Moscow. What made US Attorney General to give out such a news in a foreign capital? Five days later, on 6/15, in message "68, Re 7. Padilla and OKC bombing (6/15)", "Re. 9. Ashcroft in Moscow" I alleged a "terror attack" would be done to US. I wrote,"Or probably there will be a big terror attack which government had said,"Bombing is inevitable.".

One month later in message"77. The payment of deal(July/02)" I wrote, "It must be benefit to FBI because Ashcroft was involved.", "If so, US people still will suffer another attack-a dirty bomb attack. When they want to demand more from people. Either for election, or for the support of war on Iraq, or against criticism of failure intelligence.....it's their choice."

What the role Russian would have played was a witness if the attack had happened. If Russian said they knew Saddam had planned such an attack, and had informed US in advance. People of the world would believe it. Because at that time, Russia seemed to be more friendly with Iraq than US. Russia opposed US war policy in UN convention.

Putin's defense in 6/19/2004 for Bush was only a performance of that secret deal of June/2002. That's why I was surprised when I heard it.
In which you can see a time accord. Re: "The report, which cited an unidentified intelligence agent, said Russian intelligence had received information in early 2002 that Iraq was planning an attack against the United States. "This information was more than once passed on to our U.S. partners in oral and written form in the fall of 2002,"". (Washington Post, 6/19/04)

As I said, the secret deal was done in early June, 2002. The bribe of the secret deal was paid to Russia in later June. Then we could see today that "the information from Russia in oral and written form passed to US in the fall of 2002." They could cheat people anything. But the action could only be carried out after the deal.

What was the fall of 2002? In October that year, a sniper shooting spree pushed law makers passed the Bill to authorize the use of armed force against Iraq. Bush got the war power; About same time, a French oil tanker was bombed; There was also a Bali bombing which killed nearly 200 people, most of them Australians. A push for the two countries to support for the war against Iraq. What Bush needed was an "Iraq terror attack" to justify the invasion. A Russia oral and written form of information would make the case credible.

For some reason, the plot to plant a terror attack on Iraq was soured. I think my revelation in advance played a role on it.

 

[Rrose_Selavy]

For some reason, the plot to plant a terror attack on Iraq was soured. I think my revelation in advance played a role on it.

Ah. So when your predictions don't happen it's because your prediction was correct?

 

[SoundDust]

hmmmmmm

Labour 'must avoid fear campaign'

Labour's campaign at the next general election must be based on hope, not fear, the home secretary will say in a speech on Saturday.

But David Blunkett will emphasise that tough security measures are needed if people are to feel safe.

Labour must "promote our policies by persuasion, not panic", he will tell political think tank Progress.

Plans for ID cards and enhanced border security are part of moves to prevent such panic, he will say.

He said people were more insecure since 11 September and the government needed to provide "stability and security" to be "able to create a civilised, caring and compassionate society".

"People do not open their hearts and minds and hear messages, particularly progressive messages, if underpinning that, subliminally, is a fear of what's happening around them.

"So, we want to win an election based on hope, not fear, but knowing that you don't give people hope by dismissing their fears," he will say.

'Pre-emptive security'

He described Labour's measures as sensible and pre-emptive, rather than draconian as critics have said.

"They are pre-emptive in the sense that we live in a rapidly changing world where people's fears are greater, not just in terms of terrorism, but fear in their own neighbourhood and community," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"We've been able to establish stability and security in terms of the economy and people's economic family life.

"We need to be able to do that in their immediate environment, internationally and in dealing with terrorism."

He said fear had grown during Labour's time in office because of rapid economic and social change, as well as the ability to instantly see images and information from around the world due to modern technology.

"My job is to enable us to win the election, whenever is it, based on optimism, not fear because we can point sensibly and calmly to the measures we are taking to enhance our security and strengthen our borders," he will tell the annual conference of Progress.

He will warn in his speech that centre left governments which have failed to take security seriously have been swept away across Europe, "most notably in France".

Identity cards

He defended plans to introduce identity cards, saying they would replace a "muddled system" that could easily be duplicated and flawed.

The cards would keep track of who was in the country, who was allowed access to services and employment, as well as allowing security services and police to use the information "sensitively", he said.

But Liberal Democrats home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten said identity cards were a red herring which would not prevent terrorist attacks.

He said the government was nervous of being accused of playing the terror card to win votes.

 

[Anonymous]

Ah. So when your predictions don't happen it's because your prediction was correct?

The Whole World revolves around Kathaksung, that's why 'They' are so afraid of him.

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

This is some advanced chain yanking:

Osama given OK to nuke Yanks: expert

Osama Bin Laden has been granted religious approval to use a nuclear bomb against Americans, according to the CIA's former top Al Qaeda expert.

The former official, Michael Scheuer, tells CBS' "60 Minutes" on tomorrow's broadcast that Bin Laden was given written authority by a Saudi sheik.

The sheik "found that [Bin Laden] was perfectly within his rights" to use nukes.

"Muslims argue that the United States is responsible for millions of dead Muslims around the world, so reciprocity would mean you could kill millions of Americans," Scheuer says.

Scheuer, who resigned yesterday, was the head of the CIA unit charged with tracking Bin Laden from 1996 to 1999, and the previously anonymous author of two books critical of the West's response to Bin Laden and Al Qaeda. He's been tracking Bin Laden since the mid-1980s.

Scheuer tells "60 Minutes" that American leaders have made a mistake by characterizing Bin Laden as "a thug, a gangster" rather than a disciplined plotter of destruction.

"Until we respect him, sir, we are going to die in numbers that are probably unnecessary," he says. The Al Qaeda mastermind was involved in the original planning for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He also charged that former CIA Director George Tenet failed to provide the agency's Bin Laden unit with sufficient manpower.

In the interview, Scheuer says that even if Bin Laden had a nuclear weapon, he probably would not have used it before without the authority of the sheik.

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/252390p-215993c.html

Is he really suggesting that if bin Laden got his hand son a nuke and was able to smuggle it into the US (or wherever) that he wouldn't have set it of without permission????

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

I do wonder how we got through the decades of being under a genuine terrorist threat (which killed people in most of England's major cities) without these laws and yet when we have a nebulous enemy that hasn't hit this country we require sweeping new laws:

Britain considering tough new anti-terror laws

Sunday, 21 November , 2004, 18:57

London: Britain is considering sweeping new anti-terrorism laws including special courts to try terror suspects without a jury, Home Secretary David Blunkett said in an interview Sunday.

Other measures, to be introduced only if Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour Party wins a general election expected in mid-2005, would include allowing evidence gained from telephone taps to be used in trials.

They were put forward as The Sunday Times reported that a British man detained at the US base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba -- criticised by Britain for failing to protect legal rights of detainees -- was considered an Al-Qaeda terrorist by Washington.

Blunkett also said people who had not committed an offence but were suspected of planning terrorism acts could have their actions restricted by so-called "civil orders", similar to a system of anti-social behaviour orders introduced recently to target repeat criminals.

The proposals will most likely alarm civil liberties campaigners in Britain, some of whom view Blunkett as an authoritarian more concerned with pleasing tabloid newspapers than preserving individual freedoms.

Liberal Democratic leader Charles Kennedy accused the minister of "undermining" citizens' rights, saying the measure was a sign of the "illiberalism" of the government of Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Blunkett, interviewed by ITV television for a Sunday programme, said special terrorism trials with judges sitting alone were also being considered.

There was "a very strong case" for copying similar no-jury tribunals used to hear some immigration cases, "and there's widespread support for looking at that", Blunkett said.

The civil orders would be used to prevent people, for example, from using certain banking systems linked to terrorism or using the Internet, with those breaching such orders being imprisoned.

However, this would all have to wait, Blunkett said: "It's not my intention to try and push a bill through this side of the general election whenever the prime minister calls it."

Information gained through wire taps could also become permitted as evidence in trials, Blunkett added, following discussions with security agencies.

The security services have previously opposed such a move, fearing that they could be force to disclose secret operations in court.

Blunkett's comments will underscore his reputation as someone unafraid to shock what he once dismissively labelled the "bleeding-heart liberals" of the civil rights lobby.

He has battled with rights groups previously over issues such as a law allowing foreign terrorism suspects to be detained indefinitely without trial.

His announcement coincided with the Sunday Times report that 24-year-old Feroz Abbasi, one of four Britons still held at Guantanamo Bay, was thought by US officials to have trained in terrorism camps in Afghanistan and fought with Islamic militants there.

Britain made a rare criticism of Guantanamo earlier this month in its annual human rights report, saying the four Britons should either "be tried fairly in accordance with international standards or returned to the UK".

It indicated it was currently not possible to get a fair trial by international standards at the military courts the US government has set up for "enemy combatants" at its offshore base in Cuba.

Britain, as a close ally of the United States both in Iraq and the "war on terrorism", is bracing itself for possible attacks by groups such as Al-Qaeda, with the country's top policeman saying earlier this year that it was merely a matter of when, rather than if.

Source

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

'Security services foil 9/11 attack in UK'

8.56AM, Tue Nov 23 2004

Our security services have thwarted four or five September 11-style attacks on targets including Canary Wharf and Heathrow Airport, according to a report.

One plot is said to have involved pilots being trained to fly into target buildings, including London's famous financial centre and the world's busiest airport.

It is one of a number of attacks planned by al-Qaeda since 9/11 that have come to nothing after the authorities intervened, the reports - which cite top security sources - claim.

The disclosure comes as the Government prepares to unveil a series of tough law-and-order Bills in this morning's Queen's Speech, setting out the legislative programme for what is expected to be the final session of the current Parliament.

http://www.itv.com/news/951904.html

or did they?

`NO DIRECT THREAT TO CANARY WHARF'

Nov 25 2004

Security sources state attack is `not imminent'

Debra Killalea


WHARFERS have been reassured there is no imminent threat of a terror attack on Britain's three tallest buildings.

Police and Canary Wharf security have moved to assure people that there has been no warning of an attack after claims that Al Qaeda was planning a London-style repeat of the 9/11 terrorist atrocities by hijacking three planes and flying them into Canary Wharf's towers.

Sources also claimed that Heathrow Airport was another target.

But one senior security source dismissed the claims as "scaremongering," saying: "This certainly does little to help anyone and simply serves to frighten people."

The claims came as the Government unveiled a series of law and order Bills in this Tuesday's (November 23) Queen's Speech, which sets out the legislative programme for the next session of Parliament.

But a Scotland Yard spokesman insisted it had not heard of any direct threat on either site and would not be drawn on matters of intelligence.

He said: "We have received no specific threat that would lead us to issue a specific warning.

"And no one has been charged with any offence."

A Canary Wharf Group (CWG) spokesperson also said it had not received any confirmation or information concerning a terrorist attack against Canary Wharf.

The spokesperson added: "Canary Wharf Group is aware of the general high state of terror alert around the world and has worked closely with the police and security services to ensure that all possible steps are taken to maintain security on the estate."

The threat from terrorism is not new. In February 1996 IRA terrorists killed two people after a bomb exploded at South Quay.

Source

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Surely its timing (just before the announcement of "tough new anti-terror laws" in the Queen's speech) is no coincindence:

Blair defends focus on security

Simon Jeffery
Tuesday November 23, 2004



Tony Blair today defended the emphasis of the Queen's speech on security measures, insisting that the "threats faced by this country and every other major country are real".

The prime minister was responding to opposition taunts that the government was "scaremongering" by unveiling so many bills designed to crack down on terrorism, crime and antisocial behaviour.

The legislative programme outlined in the Queen's speech, the last before the general election, includes plans to introduce a national identity database and card as well as an agency to tackle serious and organised crime - a so-called British FBI.

Less heralded but significant measures include giving police the power to arrest and take DNA samples and fingerprints from minor offenders.

One of the few surprises was a pledge to extend financial support for 16 to 19-year-olds engaged in training and education.

The speech, written by the government and read by the Queen, said "measures to extend opportunity will be accompanied by legislation to increase security for all".

The government is expected to link the insecurity caused by terrorism and crime in the election campaign, arguing that people need to feel secure before they are willing to vote for the politics of hope and progress with which it prefers to be associated.

It will be left largely to chancellor Gordon Brown's tax and spend decisions to address the work-life balance and related issues.

Commenting on the speech in the Commons, the Conservative leader, Michael Howard, said his overall reaction was "haven't we heard this all before?"

The Liberal Democrat leader, Charles Kennedy, meanwhile, accused the government of going down an "insidious and dangerous" path of conflating terrorism with anti-social behaviour.

Mr Blair responded by insisting that the speech, taken with next week's pre-budget report and existing policies, committed the government to continuing policies for economic opportunity and change in the public services.

The speech included 32 bills, up from 23 last year, and Mr Blair was said not to want to signal a spring election with a slim agenda. The other measures were described as having been designed to make people feel more secure in their own homes and streets.

A clean neighbourhoods and environment bill will give local councils more powers to tackle fly-tipping, abandoned cars, noise nuisance and light pollution. A road safety bill will give police new powers to tackle drink-driving and uninsured drivers, and a drugs bill will give the police more powers to deal with users.

Other bills announced today allow for a referendum on the European constitution - but have not set a date - and provide for the merger of the prison and probation services.

On the "opportunity" theme, an education bill is promised to streamline the inspection system, and disabled people will gain more rights. An equality bill will extend protection against discrimination on grounds of religious faith, and a new commission for equality and human rights will be set up.

Hopeful themes were evident in bills reforming charity law, requiring private schools to prove that they benefit the wider community, clamp down on loan sharks, and make it simpler for organisations to get cash from the national lottery.

This second tier of measures gives the appearance of activism, but could be jettisoned if parliamentary time runs out.

Two further bills - on new anti-terror powers and introducing a new crime of corporate manslaughter - will be published only in draft form for wider debate.

Source

'British FBI' plans unveiled

Staff and agencies
Wednesday November 24, 2004

Supergrasses who help bring organised criminals to justice will be offered immunity from prosecution under the terms of a bill published today to set up a "British FBI".

The serious organised crime agency (Soca), announced yesterday in the Queen's speech, will target crimes such as credit card fraud, drug trafficking and human trafficking.

Its 5,000 investigators, drawn from existing law enforcement agencies, will be given full police powers even if they have never been a police officer before.

The bill also includes a new law to stop trespassing on specified royal and government property - a response to the "comedy terrorist" who managed to get into Prince William's birthday party at Windsor Castle last year - and creates a new offence of incitement to religious hatred.

"This bill represents the fulfilment of a lot of hard work," said the home secretary, David Blunkett. "The new agency will add value to the work of the existing agencies and link intelligence, investigation and intervention in new ways."

The bill sets out a witness protection scheme that would be provided for people such as supergrasses. Ministers hope formalising the practice will increase the number of people who testify against former accomplices.

Earlier this year, the Home Office said that, in drug trafficking crimes, less than 1% of cases brought by Customs and Excise last year saw defendants turn Queen's evidence, compared with 26% doing the equivalent in the US.

Soca's director general, Bill Hughes, said the arrangement put "the fear back where it should be - within the organised crime enterprises - because they are then at threat from within."

"The system of supergrasses before did not work properly for many reasons. This is a different approach," he added.

The bill also introduces extra police powers including the right to take fingerprints undercover and on the street, and extends the scope of search warrants so they apply to any premises occupied or accessed by a named person.

In another radical move, the bill is expected to include powers to force crime ringleaders to hand over their bank statements for up to a decade after release from jail to prove that they are no longer earning money from crime.

A white paper published in April said the new organisation would be "lawfully audacious" in cracking down on organised crime.

A former head of MI5 has been appointed to a key position in the new agency - the first time a former spymaster has taken such a major role in British policing - and he will today give his first press conference in the post.

Sir Stephen Lander, who was named as Soca's chairman earlier this year, had a 25-year career in the security service. He has indicated that he is keen to see analysts who have been trained by the security services - MI5, MI6 and GCHQ - working alongside the police to target major criminals.

"This is one of the biggest changes in UK law enforcement since the 1960s," he said. "[It] presents a real opportunity to make a difference and tackle crimes that affect every man, woman and child in this country."

Soca is due to begin work in April 2006, replacing the National Crime Squad, the National Criminal Intelligence Service and investigation teams at HM Customs and Excise and the Immigration Service.

Source

 

[Mal_Adjusted]

calling inspector clouseau !

Hi

Careless French bomb squad causes terror alert*
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international ... 72,00.html
*Amelia Gentleman in Paris
Monday December 6, 2004
The Guardian <http://www.guardian.co.uk>*

A moment of carelessness had humiliating consequences for French bomb squad officers, when they accidentally mislaid an explosive device, hidden for training purposes in an unknown passenger's suitcase, triggering a global terror alert.

Officers training sniffer-dogs at Roissy airport outside Paris this weekend slipped 150 grams of plastic explosive in the side pocket of a blue bag, selected randomly from luggage waiting to be loaded on to a plane.

While they went to find a trainee dog to sniff it out, baggage handlers put the suitcase on a conveyor belt, where it was swiftly dispatched on to a waiting plane.

Last night the explosive was still missing.

Since the bomb squad officers had failed to check where the bag was travelling to, they had no option but to inform staff on 90 flights heading out of Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport on Friday evening of the possible presence of explosives in the hold. Police, airlines and airport officials all over the world were put on standby.

French police admitted that there had been "a momentary lack of surveillance", but in a damage limitation exercise, tried to reassure their colleagues internationally that the small package had no detonator, and would not react to movement, shock or fire, and was therefore "no more dangerous than a bar of chocolate".

The embarrassment was nevertheless profound.

Four of the flights were en route to the United States, some were domestic French flights and others took off for Japan and Brazil.




The 362 passengers on an Air France flight to Los Angeles were evacuated from their plane and delayed for three hours while their luggage was inspected.

The US Transportation Security Administration said several planes were searched on arrival in New York. US news channels carried reports of the oversight hourly.

The two officers responsible are to face an internal investigation.

"It's clear that there was an error. This kind of thing should not happen," a police spokesman said last night.

French airports have intensified their anti-bomb surveillance measures after Richard Reid passed through security with explosive hidden in his shoe two years ago and boarded a flight to Miami.

No passenger has yet reported finding bomb-making materials in their baggage.

A police spokesman conceded that the owner of a dark blue suitcase with a retractable handle and wheels might be in for an unpleasant shock when he discovered the lump of clay-like explosives planted in a side pocket.

"One could imagine that the passenger might feel annoyed," he said.

Mal

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Could they be any more vague? Have they learned form the canary Wharf claims?

Also surely they have arrested people for planning these attacks? Are they being prosecuted?

'Madrid attack' averted in London

Police have prevented a terror attack in London on the scale of the Madrid bombings, according to a police chief.

Speaking to BBC London on Thursday, Met Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens said terrorism was a major issue for the UK capital.

He said a number of terror attacks had been thwarted and hundreds of people were going through the courts.

"The risk of an attack to London has not changed; an attack is still inevitable," he said.

"Thank God to date, and we have had to work extremely hard, we've thwarted attacks, " he added.

When asked if the force had stopped an attack on the scale of Madrid he said: "Yes, I can't discuss it because of court proceedings but yes we have stopped a Madrid."

The 11 March attacks on four commuter trains in Madrid which killed 200 people was Europe's worst terror attack since the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.

...............

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/e ... 081383.stm

Published: 2004/12/09 11:29:14 GMT

© BBC MMIV

Police stopped Madrid-style attack

Rosie Cowan, crime correspondent
Friday December 10, 2004
The Guardian

Police have thwarted a terror attack on London on the scale of the Madrid bombings, Scotland Yard chief Sir John Stevens said yesterday.

The Metropolitan police commissioner admitted al-Qaida style terrorists still posed a major threat to the capital, repeating his comment that a major onslaught was practically unavoidable.

Sir John, who retires as the UK's most senior police officer at the end of January, has said on several occasions that the Yard's anti-terrorist officers had averted at least half a dozen serious attacks.

When asked yesterday if these included an atrocity as terrible as that in Madrid on March 11, when bombs on four commuter trains killed 191 people and injured 1,800, he replied: "Yes, I can't discuss it because of court proceedings but yes, we have stopped a Madrid."

In an interview with BBC London he added: "Thank God to date, and we have had to work extremely hard, we've thwarted attacks. But the risk of an attack to London has not changed. An attack is still inevitable."

Since the September 11 2001 attacks in the United States, more than 500 people have been arrested in the UK on suspicion of terrorism, over half of whom have been charged and cases are going through the courts at present, although media reporting of some is heavily restricted until their conclusion.

Scotland Yard's anti-terrorism branch has taken on 700 more officers in the past two years and carries out constant covert counter-terror operations with the intelligence services in London, protecting high profile people and landmark locations, like the royal family and Houses of Parliament.

A senior police source told the Guardian earlier this year: "We are getting intelligence daily and have to decide how to react. It is in some ways a game of cat and mouse. We have people working around the clock and resources have been redeployed in certain areas.

"Just because we are not singing and dancing about what we do does not mean nothing is being done."

Sir John urged people to be the police's "eyes and ears" in the fight against terrorism. A new telephone hotline introduced by the Met is receiving 200 calls a day.

Sir Ian Blair, the current Met deputy commissioner, who will take over the top job on February 1, has said he wants to move counter-terror detectives from their desks at Scotland Yard and out into the community.

"Community intelligence will be better gained by local officers and we have the idea of putting special branch officers into a number of boroughs," he explained.

"The first person to meet a terrorist on the streets of London is not going to be a Special Branch officer from Scotland Yard, it's going to be someone out there."

Source

The Garudian also have section focusing on the terrorist threat to Britain.

 

[ENTIANONMULTI]

I do wonder how we got through the decades of being under a genuine terrorist threat (which killed people in most of England's major cities) without these laws and yet when we have a nebulous enemy that hasn't hit this country we require sweeping new laws:

cynicaly there is a simple reason for requiring new laws, Northern Ireland is and was an internal security matter, any extra legal behaviour could be hidden, has anyone else been watching empire warriors? they tactics devised against the Mau mau seem to have become standard British doctrine in a war against local insurgents.

on the Terror Levels
Assuming you buy into the fact that the raises in level reflect the threat of terrorism the government is in a catch 22 situation, you can't let an attack happen, but equally revealing everything you know about an attack may put your sources in jeopardy.

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

This all seems very odd:

Pizza courier 'targeted' Amsterdam sex zone


10 December 2004

AMSTERDAM — Justice authorities arrested a Moroccan man last month after receiving a tip-off that Islamic extremists were allegedly planning an attack on the Red Light District in Amsterdam, it was reported on Friday.

The pizza-delivery courier allegedly conducted reconnaissance of the capital's prostitution zone while riding through the area during work hours on his scooter. He was arrested on 5 November. Newspaper De Telegraaf described him as a "radical Moroccan pizza courier".

The National Detectives Unit was alerted to the supposed attack plan by three anonymous emails, the first of which was received on 14 September. Emails dated 27
September and 11 October gave further details of the suspects and addresses.

The emails warned that "terrorists in Amsterdam East" were plotting an attack on the Wallen area in Amsterdam, De Telegraaf reported. Muslim extremists, the paper said, were allegedly furious at the lack of morals in the prostitution zone.

Justice authorities took the tips very seriously and arrested the pizza deliverer at the Nasr mosque in the Celebesstraat in Amsterdam East. The man has been identified as a 20-year-old Amsterdam resident of Moroccan descent, Bilal L., alias Abu Qataadah.

L. was allegedly in contact with Syrian Redouan al-Issa, the fugitive leader of the terror network Hofstadgroep (Main City Group). The Syrian was an illegal immigrant in the Netherlands and gave Koran lessons in the home of Mohammed B., the suspected murderer of filmmaker Theo van Gogh. B. is also a member of the Main City Group.

The emails claimed the Syrian was involved in the plans to attack the Red Light District, while another target was the Dutch Parliament in The Hague. L. is alleged to have bought equipment needed to carry out the attack.

It is possible that L. was in contact with Jason W., one of the two suspects arrested in a stand-off with police in The Hague on 10 November. The detective unit involved in the investigation claims the group around L. regularly met at the Aboe Bakr mosque in Almere.

L. is also reportedly being held for threatening right-wing independent MP Geert Wilders. The MP's life has been repeatedly threatened because of his trenchant critisism of Islam.

The Main City Group — which mainly consists of Muslims of North African descent — has been kept under surveillance by the Dutch intelligence service AIVD since the summer of 2002.

Samir A. — who is being held on suspicion he was planning an attack against Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, the Dutch Parliament and the Defence Ministry — is also a member of the group. He is believed to be in contact with the suspected killer of Van Gogh.

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[Copyright Expatica News + Novum Nieuws 2004]

Source